[QCWA Hotlist] 2016-024 - QCWA Provides Donation To Support ARISS Program

[ve6afo at telus.net]

December 29, 2016

 From QCWA Headquarters

http://www.qcwa.org/

QCWA Bulletin 2016-024 - QCWA Provides Donation To Support ARISS Program

December 28, 2016: The ARISS Team is very pleased to announce that 
the Quarter Century Wireless Association, Inc. (QCWA) has made a 
notable contribution to support the
development and certification of the new ARISS radio system to be 
outfitted on the International Space Station (ISS).

Ken Oelke, QCWA President, hopes the funding will be a catalyst for 
individuals and other groups around the globe to follow suit and 
donate to the radio system cause. He further commented: "I talked at 
length with Rosalie White, K1STO, ARISS International 
Secretary-Treasurer about ARISS operating activities overall, some 
things the international team is working on for the hardware upgrade, 
and a little about the many complex and expensive steps required to 
be able to launch hardware to the ISS. Based on this, I truly believe 
this is a great opportunity for the QCWA to shine in the Amateur 
Radio Community, and to carry out QCWA's mandate as described in its 
constitution."

The ARISS hardware team has progressed well in the past year with the 
new radio system development. But moving forward as quickly as 
possible became much more pressing after the October 2016 failure of 
the 17-year-old Ericsson VHF hand held in the ISS Columbus Module. 
The radio failure shut down 2-meter APRS operation, widely used by 
the amateur radio community, and ARISS operations now must be carried 
out in the Russian Service Module, requiring astronauts to travel 
from one end of the ISS to the other (and back) to perform a 
10-minute school contact.

ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, thanked the QCWA for 
their contribution and stated: "This funding has arrived at a most 
critical time. Our radio system design is nearly complete and we're 
about to start fabrication and the very expensive hardware 
certification effort." He also noted: "It is fantastic to see amateur 
radio groups, like QCWA donating to ARISS as it shows our larger 
benefactors and potential future sponsors, including foundations and 
corporations, that the amateur radio community has 'skin in the game' 
and is willing to sacrifice to further the ARISS cause."

Rosalie thanked Ken for his personal effort in explaining ARISS's 
hardware needs and goals to the QCWA Board. She added: "QCWA members 
now understand it is important to hams to have the ARISS radio for 
APRS and other modes, and it has caused a number of hams and their 
local clubs to donate toward helping to get the radio system upgraded.

Individuals and groups interested in helping to make the ARISS 
hardware reach the ISS can go to the AMSAT Website, www.amsat.org, 
and give a tax deductible donation by clicking the ARISS Donate 
button or go to the ARISS web site, www.ariss.org, and click on the 
donate button. Donors giving $100 or more are awarded with a 
beautiful ARISS Challenge Coin.

Those wishing to make a much more substantial contribution should 
contact Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, at ka3hdo at verizon.net.

About ARISS
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a 
cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the 
space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In 
the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite 
Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the 
Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary 
goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled 
contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and 
students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of 
experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with 
large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during 
these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities 
learn about space, space technologies and amateur radio. For more 
information, visit www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org.

73,

Ken Oelke, VE6AFO
President, Quarter Century Wireless Association, Inc.